MOON
WEBC/O Michael HarismidesPO Box 4538, Sunnyside,
New York 11104-4538Subscription $3.00 a
year

May 24th, 1988
8 pm local time

(Individual version):

Cast a circle

Invoke elements by calling upon them in protective aspects (for example,
you
might invoke Watchfires or Beacons in the South).

Chant the names of the Earth Goddess, beginning with your personal favorites,
then naming as many as you can think of.

Take a piece of green string. Begin to tie knots in it, while
chanting:

Tying the Cord, Renewing the Earth;
We are Her Children, bringing Rebirth.

(The knots may be simple or elaborate, but leave enough string to tie
together
at the end.) As you chant, see the world as a network of connected
systems.
Breathe the air that comes from the jungles of South America.
Feel the living
fire of an ocelot's power. Taste the rain on the leaves at the
tops of the
trees. Feel the delicate structure of the soil at the forest
floor.)

Tie the cord together in a loop; hold it up, strung around your two
hands, and
begin chanting:

We are the Flow and we are the Ebb;
We are the Weavers, we are the Web.

As you chant, see yourself standing guard over the borders of the rainforest.
See yourself with others, protecting rainforest as you would protect
yourself,
_because that's what you're doing._

Bury the cord in a container of earth. Earth the power; thank
the Deities and
elements; open the circle. Later bury the cord in the forest
if possible.

(If circumstances make the above impossible):

Sit quietly and see: the network of ecosystems that make up the
world; the
rainforests thriving; plants and animals breeding; the Earth, green
and filled
with life; yourself, standing guard. Breathe, and know that the
air comes
from the sea and the jungles of Brazil. Drink and know that the
water has
been around the world, and circulates through you as it does through
the air,
land, and sea. Stand up and stretch; the strength of your body
is the Earth's
strength.

Ritual for the Healing and Preservation of Rainforest

(Group version):

Facilitators give each participant a slip of paper containing the name
of an
Earth Goddess and a Nature God.

Facilitators invoke elements, stressing protective/preservative aspects
of
each one and ending with "Into this circle I call the Element Air!
(Fire,
Water, Earth.)" After each such invocation, a dancer or dancers
representing
the particular element come into the circle from outside and do an
elemental
dance.

A facilitator says: "We now call upon the Earth Goddess by her
many names!"
Participants call out the Goddess name on their slip of paper, then
any other
Goddess names they wish. This ends on a signal from the drums.

A facilitator says: "We now call upon the God of Nature by his many
Names!"
The God is invoked in the same fashion as the Goddess, ending with
a drum
signal.

The elemental dancers go to the quarters and begin passing out pieces
of green
string, while a facilitator explains that the condition of the rainforests
affects us all, that all things are connected, and that the worldwide
climate
is changed every time another acre of rainforest is lost. S/he
explains that
these sections of cord represent parts of the Life Circle of Earth,
and that
they must be joined to protect her.

When the above speech has been made and all the cords have been passed
out, a
facilitator ties the first knot, saying that tying the cord is renewing
the
Earth, that we are her children, bringing her rebirth. This is
the signal to
begin the chant:

Tying the Cord, Renewing the Earth;
We are Her Children, bringing Rebirth.

Clockwise around the circle, one by one, each cord is tied to the next.
When
the circle is complete, the elemental dancers go to the quarters and
hold the
cord aloft (participants should not let go yet). The chant continues
until
the facilitators begin a second chant:

We are the Flow and we are the Ebb;
We are the Weavers, we are the Web.

(Since this is to the same tune, the transition should be easy and seamless.)
When this chant begins, the elemental dancers begin to gather in the
cord,
gently pulling it away from the participants, who gently release it.
The
elementals bury the cord in a container of earth in the center of the
circle,
then return to the outside to lead a spiral dance in to the center
and back
out (once) as the chant continues. When the participants are
standing in a
circle once more, the chant builds to a cone of power and fires.

The Deities and Elements are thanked, the power is earthed, the circle
opened,
hugs exchanged. Later bury the cord in the woods.